Dorado

If you’ve ever wondered where you’d vacation if your name were Rockefeller, the answer would be Dorado. In the early 20th century, that famous family purchased plots of land here on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, only 15 miles west of the island’s capital and LGBT social center San Juan, to create a private vacation compound in a destination that already impresses on its own.

Long known as a golf haven, with courses played by guests as distinguished as U.S. presidents (five have vacationed in Dorado), the downtown area is also not to be missed. The Museum Casa del Rey regales visitors with stories and relics of the regal colonial era, and the Distinguished Doradeños Plaza’s recently restored Juan Boria Theater similarly entertains with…well, entertainment! Surfers hang ten off the sands of Sardinera, Kikita, and El Unico, as do fellow Americans looking for an international beach break combined with the convenience of technically domestic travel, currency, and laws.

Good to Know

No designated gay scene, but generally inclusive

Easy to get to San Juan, which features a lively, active, and out gay scene

American civil rights laws forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, public transportation and facilities, business transactions, and housing